Mice

[dexterdoglancashire]

I'm cleaning out my tool shed and putting down the mouse stuff - I'm VERY wary after yesterday.....just lifted the lid of the peanut container - there they were three of the cutest little grey mice you could wish to see! Mind you, they soon cleared off when I screamed!
Bernie aka Dexterdog
PS You guys did tell me what would happen

[TonyF]

Several years ago while I was working at B&Q I was asked to go to another store to sort out their gardening department which was a real mess. Part of the problem was that throughout the winter they had allowed their old stock of peanuts for the birds, bird feeders etc to remain in one place, nice and warm and when I started to move the pallets, the whole place was just alive with mice, in the bird feeders, running over our hands and arms, luckily I had seen them in advance and we were wearing coveralls.

Later in the day one of my chums mentioned to me that I had something in my beard - mouse ****! So the beard went that evening.

My mouse saga continues here but the feral cats seem to be doing the trick and Sam arrives in two weeks, he'll get the rest of them for me!

[dexterdoglancashire]

Ye gods Tony! can you imagine me doing what you did? blimey! I'd have had a fit! Yet, I have been brave enough only to scream a little when I found the mice in the bin and have been brave enough to clean out the tool shed , where I think they were originally, and to put bait down. Methinks I do need some kind of bin with a proper secure lid aka yoanbob, but don't know where to get one from. My bins obviously arent working!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Two_Sheds]

At my first ever houseshare, in Essex, our house was riddled with mice (and slugs). They lived behind the floorboards in the bedrooms, they scampered around all night long. One morning I lifted the lid on the cooker, and there were 2 mice sitting there looking at me. The landlord wasn't interested, and when we left he kept our deposit for "cleaning" (£560) !!

[dexterdoglancashire]

OHMYGOD two sheds! I would've had an eppy! In the first house my OH lived in in Scunthorpe, I was staying one weekend, like one does....went into the kitchen, didnt put the light on but thought, whats that moving across the worktop/floor?.....switched the light on..............thousands of ants! it was like a carpet across the work surface and floor! scream? made my screams this week look like childs play!! Needless to say OH poured petrol down the drain and then put in a lighted match!!! Didnt work - landlord had to get the proper chaps in to sort it out! My, thats going back a good few years!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Two_Sheds]

At home when a kid, I had a downstairs bedroom, off the front porch. Every summer I had a trail of ants from under my bed, out my door and out the front door. I soon realised they didn't divert from their trail, so didn't bother me. Mum used to Nippon them though. Now, I hate ants. I hate anything that swarms...my very worst nightmare is flying ants

[dexterdoglancashire]

Mouse update and a question!

I haven't seen a mouse for a week, none have run up my sleeve when I get the bird seed (mind you I have a darn good luck first before I put my arm in there!) is this good news?

How does the poison actually work? The three trays of stuff that were "outside" so to speak are now empty, but the ones on top of the bird food are still full.

Does anyone think the mice have eaten it and then....well, you know what?

Bernie aka Dexterdog

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hi LJ - I dont know!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Weavie]

Hi - hope you don't mind me joining in but we have recently had a problem with a) rats in compost and b) mice under our lock-up so have had enviromental health chap round a few times. He explained to us that rats and mice are 'storers'. They take the food ie: poison bate, and take it back to the nest where they give it to their young. The poison takes a little while to work (certainly in the case of rats) and this is a safety precaution in case a child ever got hold of some, it would allow time for them to be taken care of. He said he would keep putting the bate down until they stopped taking it (the rodents). He also explained that the rats/mice are not aware that they are eating poison and will not die a painful death. He said that bird food really attracts rats and mice and advised me not to feed the birds in the summer. He also advised putting chicken wire under the compost heap as they can't chew through it, but I'm going a step further and getting a tumbling composter with a lockable lid. From what he says - keep putting the bate down until it's not touched for a few days, then you know that you've been successful. Hope this helps.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Weavie thanks for that, I didnt know whether Id been successful or not - more mice bait it is then.

Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Weavie]

Good luck! BTW here in Guildford the council don't charge for someone to come out and lay bait for mice or rats but they do charge to get rid of wasps. As bait is quite pricey would it be worth giving your local council a call. They keep coming back on a weekly basis and checking for you on whether or not the jobs done. Also, they put the bait in a piece of piping to keep it dry as when it gets wet it's useless apparently.

[dexterdoglancashire]

This sounds awful but I wouldnt trust my local council as far as I could throw them!!! Trying to get them to answer an email......what? Sorry, I'll stop there! Thanks for the advice - but I'll stick to DIY!

Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Weavie]

Fair enough DDL. Must be v. lucky here. The man was so lovely from the council that I gave him some chitted earlies. It was ironic that when he came to see me the following week, he said that mice had dug a hole in the bucket he had planted them in!
Interestly enough he also said that he's never been so busy and he gets a call out at least once a week to get rid of rats.

[TonyF]

Found some of the long and big black ants a few days ago living in an old railway sleeper at chum's garden and red ants in a pile of soil here.

Still a blank on the mice, just the one in a humane trap but one of the sacs of bait in a cold frame was munched and found a little mouse body near it earlier in the week.

[bubblewrap]

At my first ever houseshare, in Essex, our house was riddled with mice (and slugs). They lived behind the floorboards in the bedrooms, they scampered around all night long. One morning I lifted the lid on the cooker, and there were 2 mice sitting there looking at me. The landlord wasn't interested, and when we left he kept our deposit for "cleaning" (£560) !!

You should have captured a few mice & put them through his letter box.